Reenforced roadway



A ril 20,1926. 1,581,507:

L. BENEDICT ET AL RHENFORCED ROADWAY Original Filed May 29. 1924 INVEN TORS Edward LBe'nedl'cf 'k/ R9501 lose their mforrveq UNITED STATES PATENTOFFIC Patented Apr. 20, 1926. I

EDWARD L, BENEDICT AND nonnnr L, GLOSE, or PITTSBURGH," PENNSYLVANIA.

REENFORCED ROADWAY.

Original application filed May 29, 1924,5eria1 No. 716,693. Dividedt'and this application filed May 2 0, i

1925. Serial No. 31,470.

the county of Allegheny and State ofPennhave invented a new and useful sylvania, o-

Improvement in a Reenforced Roadway, which the following is a specification.-

This invention relates to a reenforced cementitious monolith or pavement, and constitutes a division of copending application, Serial No. 716,693, filed May 29, 1924.

In present day concrete road building it is considered good practice to have the road slab thicker along the sides of the road than at its center. As the road surface is gen erally crowned or higher along the center of the road, this effect is secured by inclining a subgrade of the roadway downwardly toward both sides of the road.

One object of the invention is to provide a concrete monolithv or pavement having embodied therein a. metallic fabric which reenforces the monolith or pavement against variously dire'ctedstresses, and which is self supporting and'rigid during the pouring of the cementitious material of the monolith or pavement.

Another object of the invention is to provide a concrete monolith or pavement having embodied therein reenforcing fabric. of the nature indicated, which is so constructed and arranged that the fabric may conform to, and the elements of the fabric, occupy unchanged relative positions in, a monolith the sides of which are not parallel; as in a cementitious monolith or slab forming a portion of a crowned roadway, and having its thickness varied to conform to the subgrade of the roadway.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an isometric view of the reenforcing fabric as used in the monolithic slab or pavement of the present invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation of such fabric; and Figure 3 is a cross sectional view through the mono lith or pavement showing the fabric of Figures 1 and 2 distorted to conform to the form of the monolith and the subgrade by which it is supported As shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawlngs, the lift-b11010 be embedded in the monol thlc slab or pavement comprises prlmarily strand members or elements 1, which may be, rods, bars, or heavy wires; and stay bars or elements 2, which extend transversely of the strand elements, and which are preferably wires but maybe bars or rods if so desired. The stay elements 2 are welded or tied to the strand elements 1 in any suitable manner. As shown, the stay elements 2 are offset from the horizontal plane of the elements to form loops 3 having extremities 4 lying in a common plane parallel to the horizontal plane of the strand elements. 2

According to the preferred method of manufacture, the stay elements 2 areorigi nally disposed in substantially the same horizontal plane as the strand elements, extending transversely thereof, and are welded or otherwise suitably secured thereto. These stay elements are then offset a uniform vertical distance from their original horizontal plane, which is the horizontal plane of the strand elements. In accordance with the present invention, the loops 3 are offset at an angle to the horizontal plane of the strand elements. This angular projection of the loops of the stay elements may be effected subsequently to a direct vertical offsetting thereof, or their horizontal 01fsetting may be determined simultaneously with the vertical offsetting.

As shown, adjacent loops of the same stay member or element are offset at opposite angles to the horizontal plane of the strand elements, to provide equally butoppositely inclined loops. It will be noted that all the extremities 4 of the row in each interval 5, that is all the loops lying in the same interval between two strand elements, are inclined in the same direction, and that the loops of the row or rows in any interval or intervals adjacent to a designated interval extend at an opposite angle to those of the row in the designated interval. The effect of this staggered arrangement of the loops'is to secure the maximum. supporting effect afford ed by a plurality of triangularbases' extending transversely of the strand elements-E It may be noted that the offsetting ofthese loops is uniform throughout the fabric. The uniform relative spacing of the strand, or main reenforcing, elements is therefore not affected by the formation of the loops in the stay elements.

Figure 3 of the drawings illustrates the adaptation of the reenforcing fabric to procommon plane which is'substantially parallel with the under surface of the slab. It will be further noted that the fabric is laid with the strand elements 1 disposed transversely of the slab or roadway; and with the stay elements 2 extending longitudinally of the roadway, and having the extremities 4: of each of their loops 3 spaced apart transversely of the slab or roadway.

Starting with the reenforcing fabric shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, such fabric is modified so that its vertical extent varies with that .of the slab in which it is to be embedded. This adaptation is secured by varying the angular disposition of the loops 3 of stay elements 2 with respect to the horizontal plane of the strand'elements 1, and the surface of the intended slab or roadway 6 in which the fabric is to be embedded.

As shown, the loops adjacent the sides of the slab 6 may remain in a natural condition, the next successive loops transversely of the slab have their extremities 4; spread so that the legs of the loop form a lesser angle with the horizontal plane of the strand elements and the surface of the roadway. The next loop transversely of the slab has its extremities 4: still further spread, so that its legs form lesser angles with the horizontal plane of the strand elements and the surface of the roadway. This effect may be continued throughout the entire length of the fair ric, successive loops having their externiiities spaced apart a progressively greater dis tance, and their legs forming progressively lesser angles with the horizontal plane of the strand elements and the surface of the road 'f his progressive spreading of the extremities of the loops and progressive variation of the angles formed by their legs with the horizontal plane of the strand elements and surface of the roadway, results in the production of a fabric which is tapered longi- It should be noted that the fabric as shown in Figures 1 and 2 may be shipped in made up condition, and that the spreading may be done where the pavement or the like is to be laid, by merely efiecting the desired progressive distortion of the loops of succeeding strand elements. It shouldalso be noted that the degree of which these loops are distorted will in itself accommodate the fabric to slabs the top and bottom surfaces of which have a greater or lesser inclination. If therefore the inclination. of the subgrade of a road under construction should vary in different localities, initially similar sections of fabric may be variously distorted to maintain the proper position of the fabric in slabs accommodated to the various inclinations of subgrade.

lVith the arrangement and progressive loop distortion shown, it is unnecessary to vary the mutual spacing of the strand elements, or to vary the length of material of the stay elements in the intervals between strand elements, in order to secure a section of pavement having the embedded reenforcing fabric accommodated to the section shape of the pavement. 7

What we claim is:

1. A concrete roadway having a reenforcing fabric embedded therein; said fabric comprising strand elements extending transversely of the roadway, and stay elements secured to the strand elements and extending transversely of the strand elements and longitudinally of the roadway; the stay elements having loops offset at an angle to the surface of the roadway, and the angle formed with the surface of the roadway by the loops of successive stay elements being progressively decreased to progressively decrease the vertical extent of the loops without varying their length or varying the mutual spacing of the strand elements.

2. A concrete roadway having a reenforcing fabric, embedded therein; said fabric comprising strand elements extending transversely of the roadway and stay elements secured to the strand elements and extendforcing fabrio embedded therein; said fabric comprising strand elements extending transversely of the roadway and stay elements secured to the strand elements and extending transversely of the strand elements and longitudinally of the roadway, the stay elements having loops offset at anangle to the surface of the roadway, alternate loops of the same stay element being mutually staggered in the body of the roadway, and successive 10 stay elements transversely of the roadway' having loops of progressively decreased Vert-ical extent. y

In Witness, we hereunto set our hands.

EDWARD L. BENEDICT. ROBERT L. GLOSE. 

